Just Keep Swimming....

If you haven't seen Finding Dory, I highly recommend that you do. It is so sweet and I love the scenes where the parents are helping Dory with her special needs. Click on the picture below to see a perfect example.

The mom and dad patiently teach Dory things to help her in life. One of the best things they work on is to "Just Keep Swimming." At the beginning of the school year things can get a little overwhelming. We need to teach our students to "Just Keep Swimming" through the school days and little by little things will begin to fall in place. Help your child to compare him/herself to no one else. Track the little successes and celebrate the victories. 

As parents, I want to encourage you to keep swimming as well. There are days we all feel that the weight of the world is on our shoulders. I am encouraging you to compare yourself to only yourself and celebrate the victories as well. If we all support one another, I believe we will look back at this school year and be amazed at the results. 

What suggestions do have to encourage other parents/guardians of children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing?

Your fellow swimming itinerant teacher,

Melissa Jenkins

Camp Communication 2017 is Coming!

There is a new opportunity for children ages 4 -12 who have a hearing loss. It is the Camp Communication 2017.

Monday, July 17 – Friday, July 21, 2017

Monday through Friday

8:30 am – 11:30 am

Ages: 4 years-12 years

Second Presbyterian Church, 342 Meeting St., Downtown Charleston

Youth ages 4 – 12 years with hearing impairment are eligible to attend.  The camp is designed to provide communication, language stimulation, and socialization in a fun and interactive environment.

Application deadline is June 16, 2017. 

Completed applications should be mailed to:

Nevitte Morris

MUSC Dept of OTO-HNS

135 Rutledge Avenue, MSC 550

Charleston, SC  29425

Or EMAILED to: swink@musc.edu

For more information, Call 843-792-6136.

 

Camping Opportunity!

Hello Spring Camp Cheerio Families,

 

Registration for Spring Camp Cheerio is open!  We will be back in beautiful Roaring Gap, NC the weekend of May 19-21, 2017.  Please follow the instructions at the bottom of this email to register with our new, online registration system!  Information is below, to get you prepared and excited for this year’s camp.  In addition, the Hilton building will be rebuilt and available for our use!

 

1) Speakers.  We’re very excited to announce our speakers for Spring Camp Cheerio 2017!

·         Lauren Pruett and Catharine McNally will give a 2-part presentation on Teaming Up to Develop a Self-Advocacy Roadmap Toward Independence.

·         Stephanie Payonk and Virginia Madorin will discuss IEPs for Students – How To Get The Most Out of Your Plan!

·         Neena Malosky and Chris Czajkowski will present on Improving Executive Functioning Skills in Children With Hearing Loss.

·         Nicole Dobson will present on Speech and Language Evaluations.

 

2) Superhero Theme.  This year’s camp theme is Superheroes!  Bring your Superhero gear and wear it around camp, whether it’s Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, etc.  You will have the option to order a variety of fun Superhero camp shirts this year, so look for them on the registration website.  A limited variety and number of t-shirts will be available at Camp for purchase, so we encourage you to order in advance so that you can get exactly what you want. 

 

3) Arrive to Spring Camp on Friday at noon!  We’re going to have fantastic events on Friday at Spring Camp Cheerio, including Part I of a self-advocacy seminar, and our second annual “Coffee Talk” event, which will have structured and facilitated group discussions with other parents and professionals, with a goal of forming deeper relationships.  Please plan to arrive early on Friday so you can participate in these great events!

 

4) Silent Auction and Other Events.  We will once again have a Silent Auction that will help us to pay for programming and scholarships. You can donate individual items, make a gift basket, etc.!  If you can donate to our silent auction, please contact Kristy Burke at krisburke560@gmail.com.  Saturday afternoon we will once again have time to enjoy the wonderful camp facilities, such as rock climbing, canoeing, putt putt, archery and riflery.  Saturday night we will have a dance in the gym, DJ’d by our very own Jeff Campagna!

 

5) Snacks.  We appreciate donations of snacks for our children’s programming and adult programming.  The children’s programming will need water, Gatorade/juice and individually packaged snacks.  Adults will need water, soda and individually-packaged snacks.  Please keep this in mind, and start collecting snacks now!

 

6) Now, Register!  Be Sure To Register Early For Lower Registration Fees!  The link for registration is https://springcampcheerio.org/registration/.  IF YOU ARE A VOLUNTEER AND YOU ARE COMING WITH YOUR FAMILY, you will need to register once for yourself, and a second time for the remainder of your family.   This helps us ensure that you get the appropriate volunteer discount.

 

We look forward to seeing you on May 19!

 

Taryn Mecia

Co-Chair, Spring Camp Cheerio Planning Committee

Free Introduction To Sign Language Class!

Happy Holidays!

I wanted to be sure to get this out as soon as possible for parents interested in learning sign language. Jill Eversmann, a pediatric speech-language pathologist with 30 years of experience, is a Signing Time instructor. She spends much of her time conducting workshops to help people learn sign languge. Normally there is a $15 cost, but as a parent with children who have special needs, the cost is FREE! Can't beat that!

This is an introducation to sign language workshop. It covers 25 single signs, the manual alphabet, and numbers 1 - 10. There is a limit of 15 participants, so please sign up as soon as possible.

     Date: Friday, January 13, 2017
     Time: 100:00 - 11:30
     Place Poplar Conference Room at the SC Assistive Technology Program
     Register: SC Assistive Technology Program

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Support Group

Hands & Voices is an Deaf/Hard of Hearing support group that has many members throughout the country. This group supports families and their children with hearing loss and welcomes all different forms of communication. There is no judging whether your child signs, speaks, or uses any variety of communication methods in between. They offer so many resources, some including Spanish, to help families in the journey of raising successful children.

Locally, this non-profit groups offers monthly meetings that are centered around D/HH family support. They meet the first Thursday of every month from 6-7:30 pm. The meeting is held at 437 Center Street, West Columbia, SC 29169.

There is a fundraiser for this group being held Saturday, December 3, 2016 from 8 - 10 am. It is a Pancake Breakfast including pancakes, sausage, fruit cup and beverage from a $10 donation.  The fundraiser is being held at the Fatz Cafe at 5590 Forest Drive, Columbia, SC, 29206This is a great time to meet other families on the same journey as you.

For more information about the fundraiser or this fantastic goup, check out their website at https://sites.google.come/site/schandsandvoices/ 

5 Minute Rule

Who would have thought that an 8th grader could teach this old dog a new trick? Hearing aid batteries are so expensive and Deaf and Hard of Hearing students go through them so quickly. For many, it is absolutely necessary to wear them every waking moment, and the costs add up. What if there was a simple way to make each battery extend its life by two to three days? There is!

Once parents or students take the sticker off of the back of the hearing aid, they normally slip it right into the hearing aid. By simply waiting for 5 minutes before putting it in, you have increased the normal life of the battery from two to seven days (depending on the model) to four to ten days. Imagine how much could be saved in a year.

If you want to understand the science behind this, simply click on the link below.

http://kimt.com/2015/05/05/student-makes-discovery-when-it-comes-to-extending-hearing-aid-battery-life/

A Learning Opportunity for Parents!

We often think that it is all about the kids and spend all of our time and energy focused on them. Well, parents, for once it is about you. So you can learn about the kids. (Somehow the kids always wrangle themselves into the topic.)

There is a Deaf and Hard of Hearing Summit in Columbia SC next month. What is a summit? It is a fancy word for teaching new ideas. And this summit has a lot of ideas to teach us. There will be a focus on the I in the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). So this topic will be on the Individual i.e. your child. Some technology will be taught, along with understanding a Balanced Literacy Model for students with hearing loss.

The cost is $25 for professionals, but as parents your cost is only $10, and lunch is included. This one day event is Friday, October 23. Click on the icon below to get more information. See you there!